Meet Beth Ribeiro | Focus Puller

We had the good fortune of connecting with Beth Ribeiro and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Beth, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I am from Johannesburg, South Africa. I grew up in a middle-class suburb of Johannesburg close to much of my family and friends. I then moved to Cape Town to attend the University of Cape Town (UCT). UCT encouraged me to grow so deeply – I learnt so much, so quickly. I attended UCT at a time where a political movement was at its peak and this shaped me so deeply in understanding so many aspects of of the landscape of South Africa that I had previously not fully understood.

I also learnt so much about African cinema, Queer Cinema and the history of Theatre in South Africa. The tutorials in the Film Department were world class and help me find discover many films that I believe I would not have found elsewhere. I feel truly grateful for the understanding of cinema that UCT gave me. I feel it has really helped not only my creativity but also helped form my perspective on different forms of storytelling.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I feel grateful that I found my job, because until a few years ago I didn’t know it existed. I work as a focus puller/1st Assistant Camera. It has lead to a range of projects including documentaries, commercials, feature films and short films. I have been in the desert. in the forrest, on beaches and in studios in Brooklyn. I love that I get to explore the world through my job as well as learn about the world through the films I work on. I love meeting new people and growing work relationships that sometime turn into friendships. It’s a tumultuous industry to be a part of but I’m so grateful I get to be a part of it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m based in Brooklyn, so I’d recommend: -Greenberg Bagels
-The Holler (queer dive bar)
-Do or Dive (the most iconic dive bar)
-Tuesdays at the Red Room (fav comedy show hosted by Emily Wilson)

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
In keeping with the things I learnt about cinema and film at UCT, I think it only fair to shoutout some of the lecturers and people who taught me things at UCT (of course there are many more but these simply stand out to me): Mbongeni N. Mtshali who taught me so much about South African theatre and is simply a genius.
Martin Botha who’s love for Queer Cinema. was inspirational
Dee Marco who ran a “Black Women in Television” seminar which was one of my favourite courses ever.

My friends and classmates who I learnt the most from.

Instagram: beth_s_ribeiro

Image Credits
Elena Dagan (feature image)